Biden to veto Israel aid bill without including aid to Ukraine
US President Joe Biden will veto the Israel aid bill proposed by the Republicans in the House of Representatives without providing aid to Ukraine.
In their turn, the Republicans proposed to the White House chief conditions for further support of Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, citing the statement published in the Office of Management and Budget of the White House the day before and a statement by congressmen.
The Israel bill has $14.3 billion of aid at the expense of reducing funding for the Internal Revenue Service. The document also separates the aid from Biden's broader request for emergency funding, including money for Ukraine.
The White House believes that the adoption of the document "fails to meet the urgency of the moment by deepening our divides and severely eroding historic bipartisan support for Israel's security."
The new speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, is in favor of the bill. He wants to cut off any aid to Kyiv and has already faced stiff bipartisan opposition in the Senate. Voting should take place on Thursday, November 2.
Republican Congressman Mike Garcia and his colleagues sent a letter to US President Joe Biden urging him to separate additional funding for Israel from the package that includes funds for Ukraine. They also put forward conditions for further support of the country in the fight against Russian aggression.
The statement said that "it is clear" that Israel and Ukraine must win. However, it expressed concern that American taxpayers are "tired of funding the endless stalemate in Ukraine with no vision of victory," delaying "critically important" funding for the U.S.'s biggest ally, Israel.
Garcia stressed that the conditions must be met before "even one dollar" will be sent to Ukraine.
Under the Republican terms, Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must provide the US Congress with an "actual strategy for victory." It should have a clear idea of how Ukraine will win and how long it will take to "understand the ultimate goal."
"The strategy of 'we are with you until we win' or 'we must win' is not a strategy of victory," the statement said.
The letter also called for the "estimated price" of the future victory. In turn, Biden and the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, should "clearly inform" the American people about the state of the war in Ukraine: the progress of Ukraine, the reasons for the "current impasse," and updated information regarding the counteroffensive.
According to the congressmen, Biden and Austin should also provide Congress with a list of weapons that were not sent to Ukraine but would be effective in "breaking the current impasse."
The letter also called for clarification on whether the US and Ukraine have agreed on goals in occupied Crimea and whether the US considers Ukraine's desire to return the peninsula realistic.
Biden and Zelensky were also urged to provide Congress with a full accounting of the weapons systems that have been sent and used to date.
The congressmen said the US president must provide commitments and evidence that his administration is "not jeopardizing" the schedule and cost of critical domestic weapons programs or commitments made by the United States to programs in Taiwan and Israel.
"We cannot cannibalize the potential of our own capabilities — or our other strategic partnership requirements — to fulfill our obligations to Ukraine," the letter said.
Republicans stressed that until the Biden administration "satisfactorily fulfills these conditions," funding for Ukraine "should not be considered in Congress."
On October 20, the White House asked Congress for almost $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel, and other priority areas.
The request for Ukraine includes $61.4 billion, including $44.4 billion for the supply of Pentagon equipment, weapons stockpiles, and other military support.
